16 Jul 2026
Northern Ireland
If you live in Northern Ireland, do not use the GOV.UK claim or the DWP number for PIP, Attendance Allowance or Carer’s Allowance — a different government runs them.
PIP, Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance in Northern Ireland: same money, different government.
These benefits exist in Northern Ireland at the same rules and rates as the rest of the UK — but they are delivered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP, so the GOV.UK claim page and the DWP helplines will not start your claim. In Northern Ireland: PIP — PIP Centre 0800 012 1573 for new claims (existing claims 0800 587 0932), via nidirect; Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Credit — the Disability and Carers Service on 0800 587 0912, via nidirect. We had several guides — and, from 16 July, our money-finder scanners and the step-by-step claim builder too — sending Northern Ireland readers to the DWP number or the GOV.UK claim; all corrected. (Reminder for the other nations: in Scotland, PIP is Adult Disability Payment, Attendance Allowance is Pension Age Disability Payment and Carer’s Allowance is Carer Support Payment, all from Social Security Scotland at mygov.scot.)
13 Jul 2026
Northern Ireland
The Winter Fuel Payment does cover Northern Ireland — on identical rules. Scotland is the only nation outside it.
Winter Fuel Payment: three nations, not two — and you still do not need Pension Credit.
For winter 2026/27 the Winter Fuel Payment goes to almost all pensioners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — born on or before 27 June 1960, paid automatically in November or December, tax-free, with HMRC taking it back only where your own taxable income tops £35,000 (a partner’s income does not count). nidirect states it directly: in Northern Ireland the eligibility rules are the same as for England and Wales, and the qualifying week is the same — 21 to 27 September 2026. There is no separate Northern Irish payment to hunt for. Scotland is the exception: you cannot get the Winter Fuel Payment there, and should check the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment from Social Security Scotland instead. Two other things worth knowing: the Pension Credit means test was reversed — you do not need Pension Credit to get this payment — and the amount is a range, £100 to £300, not a flat £200/£300: it drops where you live with another eligible person who is not on Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA, and in a care home.
13 Jul 2026
Scotland
If you live in Scotland, do not apply for Healthy Start — you cannot get it. Claim Best Start Foods instead, which pays more.
Two schemes that do not exist in Scotland — and the better-paying Scottish payments that replace them.
Healthy Start does not operate in Scotland. GOV.UK and the NHS say it plainly: if you live in Scotland you cannot get Healthy Start. The Scottish equivalent is Best Start Foods from Social Security Scotland — and it pays more: £22.40 every 4 weeks during pregnancy, £44.80 every 4 weeks for a child under 1, and £22.40 every 4 weeks for a child aged 1 to 3. Apply at mygov.scot. Separately, the DWP no longer takes new claims for Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland — it has been replaced by Child Disability Payment, also from Social Security Scotland, at the same rates (up to £194.60 a week). If you were told to ring the DWP about a disabled child in Scotland, that is the wrong department: apply at mygov.scot or call 0800 182 2222.
13 Jul 2026
Northern Ireland
Access to Work exists in Northern Ireland — but through a different department. If a GB-only page made you think it wasn’t for you, it is.
The GOV.UK Access to Work service covers Great Britain only — Northern Ireland has its own scheme, and our page never said where it was.
Northern Ireland runs Access to Work (NI), delivered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP. It can pay for practical help at work, extra travel-to-work costs caused by a disability, and support for your employer, and is normally approved for up to three years at a time. You apply through a work coach at your local Jobs & Benefits office, and the application must be made by the disabled person. The £69,260 annual cap quoted for the Great Britain scheme is not an NI figure — nidirect publishes no equivalent cap, so we print none and tell you to check there.
13 Jul 2026
Scotland
There is no Disabled Facilities Grant in Scotland — but your council must still pay at least 80% of an essential adaptation. If you read that a stairlift grant is an England thing and stopped, start again.
Scotland has no Disabled Facilities Grant. It has something councils must pay — and almost nobody names it.
The DFG (up to £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales, £25,000 in Northern Ireland) simply does not exist in Scotland. Instead every Scottish council runs a Scheme of Assistance under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, and inside it a mandatory grant: where the council assesses an adaptation as essential, it must give a grant of at least 80% of the cost — and 100% for people on certain means-tested benefits. There is no upper cash limit (the cost must simply be reasonable), and many councils top the 80% up further. You start it by asking the council’s social work team for a needs assessment, usually with an Occupational Therapist. Care and Repair is the service that helps you through it — not the grant itself, which is a distinction that has been quietly costing people wet rooms and stairlifts. One honest limit: the Scottish Government’s published 100%-grant benefit list names legacy benefits and does not mention Universal Credit, so if you are on UC, ask the council rather than assume.
13 Jul 2026
Scotland
In Scotland the Blue Badge automatic routes run on Adult Disability Payment — not PIP. If you looked for a “PIP letter” and gave up, check again.
Scotland does not issue PIP any more — so a Blue Badge page that says “check your PIP letter” describes a letter Scottish claimants will never have.
mygov.scot sets out the Scottish automatic routes plainly: you qualify for a Blue Badge without a further mobility assessment if you get Adult Disability Payment with 8 or more points on “moving around”, 12 points on “planning and following a journey”, or the enhanced rate mobility component under Special Rules for Terminal Illness — or the higher rate mobility component of Child Disability Payment, Disability Living Allowance or Scottish Adult DLA. An existing PIP award still counts, and the visual-impairment and armed-forces routes are unchanged. New disability claims in Scotland have gone to Social Security Scotland since 2022, so a Scottish reader told to “check your PIP decision letter” can reasonably conclude the automatic route is not open to them — and apply the slow, evidence-heavy discretionary way, or not at all. Northern Ireland runs its own Blue Badge scheme through nidirect; Wales uses the same benefit-based routes as England and the badge is free.
13 Jul 2026
Northern Ireland
There is no Warm Home Discount in Northern Ireland — stop waiting for the £150 and claim Affordable Warmth instead
The Warm Home Discount does not run in Northern Ireland — and the help that does exist there works completely differently.
GOV.UK states it plainly: “The Warm Home Discount scheme is not available in Northern Ireland.” The £150 electricity credit covers England, Wales and Scotland only. So no NI household is identified automatically, no supplier there operates the scheme, and no letter is ever coming — which matters, because the whole design of the scheme in England and Wales is “do nothing and wait”. What Northern Ireland has instead is the Affordable Warmth Scheme, run by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive with local councils. It is not money off a bill: it pays for energy-efficiency work on the home — insulation, heating and boiler replacement — for lower-income households (NIHE publishes a gross household income test of under £23,000; confirm the current figure with NIHE). Two traps: you must apply, and you must not start the work before you have written approval or it will not be paid for. Northern Ireland does still get the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment — those are not devolved away.
13 Jul 2026
Pensioners
You almost certainly get the Winter Fuel Payment now — you do NOT need Pension Credit, and you do not have to be poor
The Winter Fuel Payment means test was reversed — but our own tools were still telling pensioners it depended on Pension Credit.
GOV.UK is unambiguous: you get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born on or before 27 June 1960 and usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Pension Credit is not required. It is £200, or £300 if you were born before 28 September 1946, paid automatically in November or December. The only catch is at the top: if your total income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back through your tax code or Self Assessment. In Scotland it is the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment from Social Security Scotland instead. If you get no letter and think you are eligible, claims open 21 September 2026. The 2024 restriction that tied it to Pension Credit was scrapped — a pensioner who read the old rule and assumed it was not for them was leaving £200–£300 on the table every winter.
13 Jul 2026
Debt
A Debt Relief Order is free. If anyone tells you it costs £90, they are working from a dead rule
The £90 Debt Relief Order fee no longer exists — GOV.UK now says plainly: “You do not need to pay for a DRO.”
The application fee was abolished in April 2024, and the current GOV.UK guidance states it in one line. A DRO writes off qualifying debts after 12 months if you owe under £50,000, have less than £75 a month spare income, under £2,000 of assets, no vehicle worth £4,000 or more, and do not own your home. You cannot apply on your own — it must go through an approved debt adviser, which is also free (StepChange 0800 138 1111, National Debtline 0808 808 4000, Citizens Advice). Telling someone with under £75 a month spare that the way out costs £90 is exactly the kind of dead figure that stops a person picking up the phone. England and Wales only; Scotland has its own routes (Minimal Asset Process, Debt Arrangement Scheme, sequestration).
13 Jul 2026
Health costs
If your free NHS prescriptions, dental care or eye test came from Income Support or income-based JSA, that route has ended — and there is a free way to get it back
Income Support and income-based JSA stopped being valid NHS exemptions on 15 April 2026.
Both benefits were abolished, and from 15 April 2026 they are no longer a valid basis for free NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, sight tests, glasses vouchers or NHS travel costs. NHSBSA’s April 2026 patient leaflet HC11 (V28) now lists only three income routes: Pension Credit Guarantee Credit; Universal Credit where earnings in your last assessment period were £435 or less (£935 with a child element or limited capability for work); and an HC2 / HC3 certificate from the NHS Low Income Scheme. If you used to tick the exemption box because of Income Support or income-based JSA, ticking it now can bring a penalty charge of up to £100 — but you do not have to simply start paying: the NHS Low Income Scheme is free to apply for, you do not need to be on any benefit, and an HC2 restores full help. Citizens Advice can help you complete the HC1 form.
13 Jul 2026
Benefits
Bereaved in Northern Ireland? The DWP number is not your route — and Tell Us Once does not work there
Bereavement Support Payment in Northern Ireland is claimed from the Department for Communities, not the DWP.
Bereavement Support Payment exists in Northern Ireland at the same rates — £3,500 plus up to 18 monthly payments of £350 (higher rate), or £2,500 plus up to 18 × £100 (standard rate) — but it is delivered by the Department for Communities. You claim it online, by phone or by post through nidirect, not through GOV.UK or the DWP Bereavement Service line. And the free Tell Us Once service — which reports a death to DWP, HMRC, DVLA and the council in one go — covers England, Scotland and Wales only. If the person died in Northern Ireland there is no Tell Us Once reference to ask the registrar for; each body has to be told separately. The claim deadlines still bite: claim within 3 months for the full run of monthly payments, and within 12 months to get the lump sum at all.
Source: nidirect — Bereavement Support Payment (page updated 24 Jun 2026); GOV.UK — What to do after someone dies: Tell Us Once. Read 13 Jul 2026SortedUK pages: /bereavement-support-payment · /register-a-deathConfidence: High
13 Jul 2026
Benefits
You can get the £500 maternity grant even if you already have children — and in Scotland a later baby can still get the higher £796.65
New-baby grants: the exceptions that mean you should still claim.
The Sure Start Maternity Grant (£500 — England, Wales and Northern Ireland) is usually described as a first-baby grant. GOV.UK’s eligibility page lists exceptions that let you claim even with other children under 16: a multiple birth; refugee status or humanitarian protection, or arrival from Afghanistan or Ukraine; and caring for someone else’s child (not your partner’s) who was over 12 months old when the arrangement started — the common kinship-care case. In Scotland, the Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment is £796.65 for a first child and £398.35 after — but Social Security Scotland pays the higher £796.65 for a later child if you had to leave home with your other children because of domestic abuse, if you took over looking after older children you did not give birth to, or if you are a refugee or on a resettlement scheme and your other children were born before you arrived in the UK. Social Security Scotland warns that not every circumstance is listed on the form — choose “Not sure” rather than leaving it out. A multiple birth in Scotland also adds an extra £398.35 (twins with no other children: £1,593.35). Do not rule yourself out.
Source: GOV.UK — Sure Start Maternity Grant: Eligibility; mygov.scot — Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods; Social Security Scotland — new exceptions to the higher Pregnancy and Baby Payment (Mar 2026). Read 13 Jul 2026SortedUK pages: /sure-start-maternity-grant · /healthy-startConfidence: High
13 Jul 2026
Benefits
In Northern Ireland you cannot claim ESA, JSA or Maternity Allowance from the DWP — you apply to a different government
Northern Ireland: ESA, JSA and Maternity Allowance are run by the Department for Communities, not the DWP.
The rules look the same — the same National Insurance basis, the same 13-week ESA assessment phase and support group, the same 182-day JSA limit, the same 39-week Maternity Allowance — but the office you apply to is different. In Northern Ireland you claim New Style ESA through nidirect, the ESA Centre (0800 587 1377) or a Jobs & Benefits office; New Style JSA through your local Jobs & Benefits office; and Maternity Allowance on the Northern Ireland MA1 form published on nidirect. nidirect says it plainly on its own Maternity Allowance page: “This information is for people in Northern Ireland. If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, visit GOV.UK.” A Northern Irish reader following a GOV.UK-only guide applies to the wrong government — and the rates printed for Great Britain should not be assumed to be the Northern Ireland figures either; check those on nidirect.
13 Jul 2026
Benefits
Scottish parents: a later child can still get the HIGHER £796.65 baby payment — and Best Start Foods pays more than we said
Best Start (Scotland): the higher baby payment is not only for first children.
Read in full this session from mygov.scot — Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods (13 Jul 2026). The Pregnancy and Baby Payment is £796.65 for a first child and £398.35 for each child after — but Social Security Scotland pays the higher £796.65 rate for a child who is not your first in several circumstances, including where you took over looking after your other children when they were over 12 months old and did not give birth to them (adoption or kinship care), where you had to leave home with your other children because of domestic abuse, or where you are a refugee, have humanitarian protection, or came to the UK under a resettlement scheme and your other children were born before you arrived. Social Security Scotland warns that not all of these circumstances are listed on the form — if yours is not there, choose the “Not sure” option rather than assuming the lower rate. Separately, Best Start Foods (which replaces Healthy Start in Scotland) pays £22.40 every 4 weeks during pregnancy, £44.80 every 4 weeks for each child under 1, then £22.40 to age 3 — more than Healthy Start. One application covers Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment. Free help: Social Security Scotland 0800 182 2222, or Citizens Advice Scotland.
13 Jul 2026
Benefits
If you live in Scotland, you cannot claim PIP from the DWP — and you challenge a decision differently
In Scotland, PIP is Adult Disability Payment — and there is no Mandatory Reconsideration.
Verified this session against mygov.scot (How to challenge a decision, read 13 Jul 2026). The DWP no longer takes new PIP claims in Scotland: the benefit is Adult Disability Payment, delivered by Social Security Scotland at the same rates. Existing PIP awards were transferred automatically. Challenging a decision also works differently: there is no Mandatory Reconsideration — you ask for a re-determination (usually 42 calendar days from the decision letter for Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment and Carer Support Payment; 31 days for most other Scottish benefits), and only then can you appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, within 31 days of the re-determination letter. An appeal made without a re-determination request is not accepted. Free help: Social Security Scotland 0800 182 2222, or Citizens Advice Scotland.
13 Jul 2026
Crisis help
If you are looking for the Household Support Fund, it no longer exists — ask your council for the Crisis and Resilience Fund
The Household Support Fund is gone. The money is not — it is now the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Verified this session against the GOV.UK guidance Crisis and Resilience Fund: guidance for local authorities in England (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029). The Household Support Fund ended on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 the same help is delivered by councils through the Crisis and Resilience Fund — roughly £842 million a year in England, running to March 2029, paying Crisis Payments, Housing Payments (which absorbed Discretionary Housing Payments in England), resilience services and community coordination. It is a rename and a restructure, not a cut — but you have to apply, and you are not carried over from the old fund. Search your council’s site for “Crisis and Resilience Fund” or “crisis support”; many council pages still carry the old label, so try both. Scotland (Scottish Welfare Fund), Wales (Discretionary Assistance Fund) and Northern Ireland (Discretionary Support) run their own separate schemes.
13 Jul 2026
Housing
In Scotland and Northern Ireland the bedroom tax and benefit cap are mitigated — but Scotland is not automatic
The cut is UK-wide. The money back is not. If you rent socially in Scotland, apply for the DHP.
Verified this session against gov.scot, mygov.scot and nidirect (read in full). The bedroom tax (eligible rent cut by 14% for one spare room, 25% for two or more) and the benefit cap apply in all four nations — but two nations pay the money back. Scotland: the Scottish Government funds Discretionary Housing Payments to fully mitigate the bedroom tax, and to mitigate the benefit cap as fully as it can within devolved powers — its own words are that if you are affected “you may apply for a DHP and should receive one”. It is not automatic: you must apply through your council, and keep applying while the deduction lasts. Northern Ireland: both the social sector size criteria (the “bedroom tax”) and the benefit cap can be mitigated by a Welfare Supplementary Payment, which normally continues when you move to Universal Credit — if you are affected and are not getting one, contact the Welfare Supplementary Payments Team via nidirect. England and Wales: no such mitigation — the route is the council rent top-up (the Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment in England since 1 April 2026; still a DHP in Wales).
13 Jul 2026
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland you do not claim Universal Credit or Pension Credit on GOV.UK
Same benefit, same money — different government. Northern Ireland claims go to the Department for Communities.
Verified this session against nidirect (read in full). Universal Credit and Pension Credit exist across the whole UK at the same rates, but in Northern Ireland they are delivered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP. You claim Universal Credit through nidirect — not GOV.UK — and Pension Credit through the Northern Ireland Pension Centre, not the GB claim line. Two Northern Irish payment rules also differ by default: Universal Credit is normally paid twice a month (you can ask to be paid monthly), and the housing element goes straight to your landlord unless you meet the criteria to opt out. And, as we logged separately, your Universal Credit includes nothing towards rates — claim Rate Rebate separately. In Scotland, the equivalent flexibility is the “Scottish choices”: you can ask to be paid twice a month and to have the housing element paid to your landlord; the Jobcentre must agree unless there is a good reason not to, and you can cancel at any time. We have fixed both guides, which gave a Northern Irish reader the wrong route.
Source: nidirect — Claim Universal Credit online; How much Universal Credit you get and how you’re paid; Applying for Pension Credit (Department for Communities). Citizens Advice Scotland — Change how your Universal Credit is paid in ScotlandSortedUK page: /universal-credit · /pension-creditConfidence: High
13 Jul 2026
Families & school
On Universal Credit? Apply for free school meals NOW — not in September
Free school meals: every child on Universal Credit now qualifies — and applications are already open.
Read this session directly from the DfE free school meals guidance (updated 8 May 2026). Three things changed and most parents have not been told any of them. (1) The £7,400 earnings limit no longer decides who gets a meal. From the start of the 2026/27 school year in England, every child in a household receiving Universal Credit is entitled to a free school meal, whatever the household earns. (2) Do not wait for September. DfE told schools and councils to start processing new applications from 1 June 2026, and a family found eligible on or after that date is entitled for the whole 2026/27 year; checks are supposed to be done before the autumn term so children eat free from day one. Applying in September risks missed meals while the check runs. (3) Transitional protections have ended. Since 2018, a child who once qualified kept the meal even if circumstances changed — that protection ran only to the end of the 2025/26 school year. From 2026/27 your household must actually meet the criteria, and schools are re-checking everyone. There is also a split worth knowing: targeted free school meals (UC household earning £7,400 or less) still carry pupil premium, HAF holiday clubs and extended free school transport; expanded free school meals (UC household earning more) are the meal only. Both get the meal. Apply through your child's school or council.
Source: DfE — Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, maintained schools, academies and free schools (updated 8 May 2026)SortedUK page: /free-school-meals · /holiday-clubsConfidence: High
13 Jul 2026
Northern Ireland
NI — your Universal Credit pays nothing towards your rates
There is no Council Tax in Northern Ireland — the help you want is called Rate Rebate.
Checked this session against nidirect. Northern Ireland has no Council Tax: households pay domestic rates, and your Universal Credit payment includes nothing towards them. If you get Universal Credit in Northern Ireland you have to claim the Rate Rebate scheme separately from Land & Property Services — it does not arrive on its own, and it is widely missed. If you are not on Universal Credit, the equivalents are Housing Benefit for rates and Rate Relief. Start at nidirect's “Help paying your rates”. We have fixed our Council Tax Reduction and Universal Credit guides, which were written from an England viewpoint and gave a Northern Irish reader no route at all. While we were there: Scotland and Wales run national Council Tax Reduction schemes (up to 100% off; in Scotland it can cut your water and waste charges too), whereas in England each council designs its own working-age scheme — and in Scotland and Northern Ireland you can ask for Universal Credit to be paid twice a month and for the housing element to go straight to your landlord (“Scottish choices”).
Source: nidirect — Help paying your rates / Rate Rebate Scheme for people on Universal Credit; mygov.scot — Council Tax discounts, exemptions and reductions; gov.scot — Universal Credit Scottish choicesSortedUK page: /council-tax-reduction · /universal-creditConfidence: High
13 Jul 2026
Housing & benefits
Working, on Universal Credit, and worried about your mortgage? You are not shut out
Support for Mortgage Interest: the old “zero earnings rule” is gone.
Verified this session against GOV.UK: the rule that blocked Universal Credit claimants with any earnings from getting Support for Mortgage Interest has been abolished. A part-time job no longer automatically rules you out — if you have been getting Universal Credit for 3 months in a row, you can ask about SMI, which covers the interest on up to £200,000 of your mortgage (paid direct to your lender, as a loan repaid when you sell or transfer the home). GOV.UK also no longer sets out the old 39-week wait for Income Support, income-based JSA and income-related ESA — those benefits have closed to new claims, so in practice everyone now comes through the Universal Credit route. If you are behind on your mortgage, talk to your lender and get free debt advice — StepChange, National Debtline or Citizens Advice.
13 Jul 2026
Benefits & carers
Scottish carers: you’re applying to the wrong government
Carer’s Allowance no longer takes new claims in Scotland — it’s Carer Support Payment now.
Verified this session against mygov.scot (page last updated 5 April 2026) and GOV.UK: the DWP stopped taking new Carer’s Allowance claims from people living in Scotland, and everyone who was getting it there has been moved across to Carer Support Payment from Social Security Scotland. The money is the same — £86.45 a week — the rules are slightly kinder (full-time students can claim, which Carer’s Allowance does not allow), and it is paid every 4 weeks. Apply at mygov.scot or call 0800 182 2222. Two extra payments changed in March 2026 too: the old twice-a-year Carer’s Allowance Supplement has been replaced by the Scottish Carer Supplement — £11.70 a week, added automatically to the same payment — and if you care for more than one person who gets a qualifying benefit, Carer Additional Person Payment pays £10.40 a week for each extra person (tell Social Security Scotland, so they can add it). England, Wales and Northern Ireland still use Carer’s Allowance on GOV.UK.
12 Jul 2026
Energy & bills
More people qualify — check again
The “hard to heat home” test for the £150 Warm Home Discount has been scrapped.
For a couple of years, being on a low income wasn’t enough to get the £150 Warm Home Discount in England and Wales — your property also had to score as expensive to heat (the “high energy cost score”). Plenty of people on Universal Credit were turned down because of the house they lived in. That property test has been removed from the 2025/26 scheme year onwards. Now, if you (or your partner) get a qualifying means-tested benefit — Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Housing Benefit, Tax Credits, or the Savings Credit part of Pension Credit — that is enough. Around 2.7 million more households came into scope. Most people get it automatically: a letter, then the rebate applied to the electricity bill. If you were refused before 2025 because of your home, check again — you probably qualify now. The scheme reopens in October 2026. Scotland is different: it is not automatic there — you apply to your energy supplier, budgets are limited, so apply early.
Source: GOV.UK — The Warm Home Discount Scheme (updated 1 Apr 2026) + the England & Wales eligibility statement 2025–26; Commons Library CBP-10366SortedUK page: /warm-home-discountConfidence: High
12 Jul 2026
Pensioners & benefits
Scotland — different scheme now
You can no longer claim Attendance Allowance in Scotland — it’s Pension Age Disability Payment now.
If you are over State Pension age in Scotland and need help with personal care, the benefit is no longer called Attendance Allowance. It has been replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, run by Social Security Scotland, with new claims open across the whole of Scotland since 22 April 2025. The money is exactly the same — £76.70 a week at the lower rate and £114.60 at the higher rate — and the rules about who qualifies are the same too. Only the form and the office change: you apply through mygov.scot, not the DWP. Already getting Attendance Allowance in Scotland? You don’t need to do anything — existing awards were transferred over automatically. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Attendance Allowance continues exactly as before.
Source: Social Security Scotland — Pension Age Disability Payment is replacing Attendance Allowance in Scotland; mygov.scotSortedUK page: /attendance-allowanceConfidence: High
12 Jul 2026
Housing & renting
Renamed in England — same help
Discretionary Housing Payments have a new name in England — and people are searching for a scheme that no longer exists.
If your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element doesn’t cover your rent, your council can top it up. That help used to be called a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). In England, DHPs ended on 31 March 2026 — from 1 April 2026 the same help is the Housing Payment strand of the new Crisis and Resilience Fund, which runs to 31 March 2029. This is a rename, not a cut. The qualifying rules are unchanged (you must already get Housing Benefit or the UC housing element, and the council still decides the award), and councils were told to keep spending at existing levels, using their previous DHP allocations as the guide. The practical trap: many council websites still label the form “Discretionary Housing Payment”, so search your council for either term and don’t assume the help has gone. In Scotland and Wales it is still called a DHP and is unchanged (Scotland still fully mitigates the bedroom tax; Wales is funded to March 2027). Northern Ireland runs its own system.
26 Jun 2026
Pensioners & benefits
Winter 2026/27 figures confirmed
Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026/27 — who qualifies, and when claims open.
Refreshed this session against live GOV.UK for the upcoming winter. You qualify if you were born on or before 27 June 1960 and live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (last winter the cutoff was “born before 22 September 1959”). The amounts are unchanged: £200, or £300 if someone is 80 or over, paid automatically in November or December 2026 — but HMRC still claws it back if your own taxable income tops £35,000 (a partner’s income does not count). Most people get a letter in October or November and don’t need to do anything; for the few who must claim, claims open on 21 September 2026. Scotland’s equivalent is the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (£211.15, or £316.70 if 80+, for 2026/27).
Source: GOV.UK Winter Fuel Payment + mygov.scot (read live)SortedUK page: /winter-fuel-paymentConfidence: High
18 Jun 2026
Pensioners & benefits
The means-test was reversed
Winter Fuel Payment is paid to almost all pensioners again for winter 2026/27.
Verified this session against live GOV.UK: the winter-2024/25 restriction (paid only to pensioners on Pension Credit) has been reversed. For winter 2026/27 the Winter Fuel Payment goes to almost all pensioners in England & Wales automatically — £200, or £300 if someone is 80 or over — with no need to be on Pension Credit. The catch: if your own taxable income is over £35,000, HMRC recovers the payment through your tax (a partner’s income does not count). Around 9 million pensioners are paid. Pension Credit is no longer the gateway, but it is still worth claiming for the Warm Home Discount, free TV Licence at 75 and Council Tax Reduction. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own equivalents.
22 Jun 2026
Benefits & PIP
More PIP claimants seen face-to-face
From April 2026 the DWP is doing more PIP assessments face-to-face.
Verified this session against GOV.UK and Citizens Advice: phone and video assessments are still the most common, but from April 2026 the DWP is increasing face-to-face PIP assessments (it has signalled a move toward around 30%, up from roughly 6–8%). The scoring test is unchanged — you must be able to do each activity reliably, safely, repeatedly and to an acceptable standard — so describe your worst days and how often they happen, bring new medical evidence, and use your right to take someone with you and to audio-record (ask in advance). Strong written evidence can still mean a paper-based decision with no assessment at all.
Source: GOV.UK + Citizens Advice (Jun 2026)SortedUK page: /pip-assessmentConfidence: High
13 Jun 2026
Scams & banking
A right most victims still don’t know they have
Tricked into a bank transfer? Since Oct 2024 your bank usually must refund you.
Verified this session against the PSR and Financial Ombudsman: under the mandatory reimbursement scheme that began 7 October 2024, banks and payment firms must reimburse most victims of authorised push payment (APP) scams sent by Faster Payments or CHAPS — up to £85,000, usually within 5 business days, with the cost split 50/50 between the sending and receiving bank. Report to your bank immediately and to Action Fraud; if the bank refuses, escalate free to the Financial Ombudsman within 6 months. This is for transfers you authorised — card payments use Section 75/chargeback instead.
Source: PSR + Financial Ombudsman (read live)SortedUK page: /bank-scam-refundConfidence: High
13 Jun 2026
Work & pay
The trap that underpays thousands of apprentices
The apprentice minimum wage only applies in two narrow cases.
Read live from GOV.UK this session: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hour from 1 April 2026) applies only if you are aged 16–18, OR aged 19+ and in the first year of your apprenticeship. After that you must get the full National Minimum/Living Wage for your age (£12.71 at 21+, £10.85 at 18–20). Being kept on the apprentice rate too long is one of Britain’s commonest underpayments — check your payslip, and reclaim from the Fair Work Agency if you’re owed.
12 Jun 2026
Energy & meters
Rumour corrected + a deadline that matters
Smart meters are still not compulsory — but the RTS switch-off is real and rolling.
Read live from Citizens Advice and Ofgem this session: you do not have to accept a smart meter — installation is free, refusing carries no fee, and you can ask for one to run in non-smart mode. The real deadline is the Radio Teleswitch (RTS) switch-off, phasing area by area since 30 June 2025: if your heating/hot water runs on an old RTS meter, it can get stuck on or off when your area’s signal ends — your supplier must fit a suitable replacement and a tariff that reflects your usage. Ofgem publishes no single final date; the phase-out is completing through 2026.
Source: Citizens Advice + Ofgem RTS pages (read live)SortedUK page: /smart-metersConfidence: High
12 Jun 2026
Energy
Payments uprated 1 Apr 2026 — and one is claim-only
Power cut compensation rose to £100 — and Ofgem’s own consumer page still shows the old figures.
Verified against the Ofgem Guaranteed Standards payment-update PDF (published 13 Mar 2026, rates from 1 Apr 2026): an unplanned cut in normal weather now pays £100 after 12 hours (+£45 per further 12 hours, capped £400); storm payments are capped at £2,235; and 4+ cuts of 3 hours in a year pays an extra £100 — but ONLY if you claim it (3-month window after 31 March). Ofgem’s consumer webpage and the ENA still displayed last year’s figures when we checked — the March 2026 PDF is authoritative.
Source: Ofgem GSOP payment update 2026 (PDF) + Citizens AdviceSortedUK page: /power-cut-compensationConfidence: High
11 Jun 2026
Family & courts
Fee confirmed + the step everyone misses
Divorce: the court fee is £612 — and the divorce alone does NOT close financial claims.
Read directly from the live GOV.UK step-by-step (page updated 15 May 2026): the no-fault online process costs £612 (Help with Fees can cut it to £0), runs 20 weeks to the conditional order then 6 weeks and 1 day to the final order — and without a separate financial order, money claims between ex-spouses stay open indefinitely, even years later. Quickie-divorce websites still charge £150–£600 to fill in the same free form.
Source: GOV.UK get-a-divorce (read live)SortedUK page: /divorceConfidence: High
11 Jun 2026
Travel money
Fixed amounts, six years back
Flight 3+ hours late? UK261 pays £220–£520 per passenger — and claims reach back 6 years.
Confirmed against CAA guidance this session: delays of 3+ hours at arrival, cancellations with under 14 days’ notice and denied boarding earn fixed compensation per person (£220 short-haul / £350 medium / £260–£520 long-haul) — technical faults and crew shortages count as the airline’s fault. Claims firms take 25–50% for filling in the airline’s own free form; in England & Wales you have up to 6 years to claim yourself.
11 Jun 2026
Work & pay
New rates + a new enforcer
Minimum wage is now £12.71 — and a new Fair Work Agency collects underpayments.
Two changes from April 2026, verified this week. The minimum wage rose to £12.71 an hour at 21+, £10.85 at 18–20 (an 8.5% jump) and £8.00 for 16–17s and first-year apprentices — and remember the apprentice rate only applies under 19 or in year one. Enforcement also moved: the new Fair Work Agency absorbed HMRC’s minimum-wage teams, with complaints still free (and anonymous) via GOV.UK — arrears are repaid at today’s rates, with penalties and public naming for employers. Uniform costs, unpaid trial shifts and unpaid travel time between appointments all count as underpayment.
Source: GOV.UK NMW rates + Low Pay Commission 2026 uprating reportSortedUK page: /underpaid-wagesConfidence: High
11 Jun 2026
Families
A brand-new right, barely reported
New from April: a bereaved partner can take up to 52 weeks’ leave from day one.
One of the least-reported changes of April 2026: if the mother of a child — or an adoption partner — dies within the child’s first year, the surviving partner now has a statutory right to Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave: up to 52 weeks to care for the child, from the first day in the job, no service requirement. It exists so a grieving parent isn’t forced back to work weeks after losing their partner. The wider picture — Jack’s Law, unpaid dependants leave, the sick-note route and the general bereavement-leave right expected around 2027 — is mapped on our new guide.
Source: DBT bereavement & paternity factsheet + business.gov.ukSortedUK page: /bereavement-leaveConfidence: High
11 Jun 2026
Courts & fees
Read direct from the live GOV.UK guidance
Court and tribunal fees can be waived — the 2026 Help with Fees thresholds, confirmed.
Read directly from the live HMCTS EX160A guidance (published 19 Jan 2026) this week: full fee remission if your savings are under £4,250 (for fees up to £1,420; flat £16,000 limit if you or your partner are 66+) and your gross monthly income is under £1,420 single / £2,130 couple plus £425–£710 per child. On income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support, Pension Credit guarantee or UC earning under £6,000 a year, you pass the income test automatically — and since November 2025 you no longer need to post benefit evidence. Paid a fee in the last 3 months while eligible? You can claim it back. PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Housing Benefit never count as income.
Source: GOV.UK / HMCTS EX160A guidance (read 11 Jun 2026)SortedUK page: /help-with-court-feesConfidence: High
11 Jun 2026
Families
Two summer deadlines worth diarising
Summer family money: Wales’s uniform grant opens 1 July — and free HAF holiday clubs are booking now.
Two timed routes verified this week. Wales’s School Essentials Grant (£125 per learner, £200 for Year 7) opens for 2026/27 on 1 July 2026 — apply the week it opens; Scotland’s statutory clothing grant (at least £120 per child) opens around June on the same form as free school meals. And the Holiday Activities and Food programme — free holiday clubs with a hot meal for children on free school meals, in every English council, funded at £200m+/yr to 2029 — publishes its summer booking lists in June and July. Both go to the families who apply first.
11 Jun 2026
Carers
The most dangerous number in carer finances
Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is £204 a week from April 2026 — and it’s still a cliff edge.
Verified against the DWP 2026/27 rates and Carers UK this week: the earnings limit rose to £204 a week net (from £196) and is now pegged to 16 hours at the National Living Wage, so it rises with the NLW. Carer’s Allowance itself is £86.45 a week. The cliff edge remains: £1 over loses the entire week — no taper yet. Half of pension contributions are deducted from countable earnings (the legitimate fix if you’re slightly over). And the DWP’s November 2025 overpayment review reaches back to 2015 — debts caused by unclear guidance can be reduced, cancelled or refunded, so get advice before paying any demand.
11 Jun 2026
Moving home
2026 price confirmed
Royal Mail Redirection now starts at £45 for 3 months — with a concession rate few carers and claimants know about.
Read directly from royalmail.com this week: personal mail redirection starts at £45 for 3 months (up to 12 months available; free for under-16s on the same application). Two under-used details: there’s a cheaper concession rate if you receive Universal Credit or Pension Credit, and anyone moving because of domestic abuse should phone 03457 777 888 for a Sensitive Redirection with extra safeguards rather than applying online. Redirection is the single best defence against post-move ID fraud.
Source: royalmail.com Redirection (read 11 Jun 2026)SortedUK page: /moving-homeConfidence: High
10 Jun 2026
NHS rights
A right most people never hear
GP surgeries cannot demand ID, proof of address or immigration papers to register you.
Verified against the NHS registration guidance and GOV.UK’s NHS-entitlements guide this week: registering with a GP is free for everyone, practices are not required to ask for identity, address or immigration documents — and they cannot refuse to register you for lacking them. A refusal must come in writing within 14 days with the reason, and the lawful grounds are narrow (a formally closed list, or out-of-area with no capacity). You can register while homeless (a care-of address, a day centre, or the surgery’s own address), register out-of-area near work (England, since 2015), and register temporarily when staying somewhere under 3 months. Wrongly turned away? Escalate to NHS England or your Integrated Care Board.
Source: NHS “How to register with a GP surgery” + GOV.UK NHS entitlements (migrant health guide) + HealthwatchSortedUK page: /register-with-gpConfidence: High
10 Jun 2026
Paperwork & fees
Official prices confirmed — dodge the copycats
MOT and certificate fees confirmed — and what the copycat sites charge instead.
Two more official fee sets verified this week. The MOT legal maximum is £54.85 for a car (£29.65 motorcycle), DVSA-set and frozen since 2010 — many garages charge £30–£45 for exactly the same test, and the free GOV.UK checker + free DVSA reminders kill the up-to-£1,000 forgotten-date trap. A copy birth, marriage or death certificate costs £12.50 from the official GRO (about 4 days; £38.50 next-day priority) — while third-party websites charge £30–£60+ for the same document. Always start at gov.uk.
Source: GOV.UK getting-an-mot + order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate (both read 10 Jun 2026)SortedUK pages: /mot + /birth-certificateConfidence: High
10 Jun 2026
Universal Credit
Two rates now exist — protection matters
The UC health element is now two-tier — most new LCWRA claims get £217.26 a month, not £429.80.
Verified against GOV.UK, the Universal Credit Act 2025 and the Commons Library this week: from 6 April 2026 the LCWRA / health element has two rates. People already getting it before April 2026 keep the protected £429.80 a month — and so do new claimants who are terminally ill or meet the severe conditions criteria (constantly meeting an LCWRA descriptor because of a severe, lifelong condition that will not improve). Most other new claims get £217.26 a month, planned to stay frozen until 2029/30. If you qualify under the severe conditions criteria, make sure your UC50 and medical evidence say so explicitly — it is the difference between the two rates. The standard allowance is rising faster than inflation over the same period, which softens but does not cancel the change.
Source: GOV.UK + Universal Credit Act 2025 + House of Commons Library CBP-10358 + Citizens AdviceSortedUK page: /work-capability-assessmentConfidence: High
10 Jun 2026
Paperwork & fees
Current official fees confirmed
Passport and driving licence fees — read directly from GOV.UK this week.
Two fee tables verified straight from the live GOV.UK pages (passport fees page updated 30 April 2026; licence renewal page updated 21 May 2026): an adult passport costs £102 online / £115.50 by paper (child £66.50 / £80, and free if you were born on or before 2 September 1929); a photocard driving licence renewal costs £14 online / £17 by post / £21.50 at a Post Office, and is free at 70 and every 3 years after. Anything charging you more for either is a third-party copycat site adding its own fee — always type gov.uk directly. Two traps worth knowing: the 10-year rule can stop you boarding a flight to the EU even with time left on your passport (check the issue date), and you can be fined up to £1,000 for an out-of-date address on your driving licence (updating it is free).
8 Jun 2026
Managed migration
Deadline — act or lose money
Got a Migration Notice? You have a hard deadline — and your old benefits stop if you miss it.
Verified against GOV.UK and Citizens Advice this week: a Migration Notice gives you at least 3 months from the date on the letter to claim Universal Credit. Universal Credit does not start automatically — if you don't claim by the deadline your current (legacy) benefits stop and you lose your transitional protection top-up. Tax credits closed on 5 April 2025, and the remaining legacy benefits (income-related ESA, Income Support, income-based JSA, working-age Housing Benefit) were scheduled to close by the end of March 2026. Former tax-credit claimants with savings over £16,000 get a transitional capital disregard for up to about a year. Free help: Citizens Advice Help to Claim 0800 144 8444.
Source: GOV.UK "Move to Universal Credit if you get a Migration Notice letter" + Citizens Advice + House of Commons Library CBP-9984SortedUK page: /moving-to-universal-creditConfidence: High
8 Jun 2026
Unemployment + NI
Money you may have earned
If you've lost your job, New Style JSA can be claimed even if you have savings.
Verified against GOV.UK this week: New Style Jobseeker's Allowance is paid on your National Insurance record, not on your savings or your partner's income — so people who are turned away from Universal Credit because of savings can still get it. It pays £75.65/week (under 25) or £95.55/week (25+) for up to 182 days, and you can claim it alongside UC. You qualify on Class 1 contributions paid as an employee, usually across the two tax years before you claim. Self-employed people who only paid Class 2 can't get JSA — but may get New Style ESA if unwell.
Source: GOV.UK New Style JSA guidance (updated Nov 2025) + DWP 2026/27 ratesSortedUK page: /jobseekers-allowanceConfidence: High
8 Jun 2026
Citizens Advice
Right number to call
The free Help to Claim line for Universal Credit is 0800 144 8444.
We corrected this across SortedUK this week after checking citizensadvice.org.uk directly. Citizens Advice runs a free, confidential Help to Claim service that supports you from starting a Universal Credit claim through to your first payment — the England line is 0800 144 8444 (Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm). Two numbers are easy to confuse: 0808 196 3651 is the Citizens Advice debt line, and 0800 144 8848 is the general Adviceline. For UC help specifically, use 0800 144 8444.
Source: citizensadvice.org.uk — Help to ClaimSortedUK page: /universal-creditConfidence: High
7 Jun 2026
Families + Universal Credit
More money for 3+ child families
The two-child limit is gone — a child element for every child.
Verified against DWP 2026/27 guidance this week: from April 2026 the two-child limit was abolished. Universal Credit now includes a child element — £303.94 a month per child (£351.88 higher rate for a first child born before 6 April 2017) — for every child you're responsible for, not just the first two. If you have 3 or more children and your award still looks like the old amount, query it in your UC journal now.
Source: DWP Benefit & Pension Rates 2026/27 + House of Commons LibrarySortedUK page: /universal-creditConfidence: High
7 Jun 2026
Disability benefits
Rumour corrected
The PIP "4-point rule" never happened — and 700,000 people now skip reassessments.
We checked the circulating fear that PIP claimants now need 4 points in a single daily-living activity — it is false. The 4-point clauses were removed from the legislation in July 2025 and never took effect for anyone. What IS true for 2026: rates rose from 6 April (max £194.60/week), around 700,000 people with severe, lifelong or terminal conditions are now exempt from routine reassessments, and the independent Timms review of the assessment reports in autumn 2026. Don't let a rumour stop you claiming.
7 Jun 2026
Mortgage help
Helps homeowners on benefits
Support for Mortgage Interest is paying at 3.66% right now.
Read directly from GOV.UK this week: SMI currently covers the interest on up to £200,000 of your mortgage at a 3.66% rate — GOV.UK's own example is £610 a month on the full amount, paid straight to your lender. Pension Credit claimants can start immediately; Universal Credit after 3 months. It's a loan repaid when you sell, with no monthly repayments while you need it.
7 Jun 2026
Benefits + borrowing
Repayments easier
Universal Credit Budgeting Advances: 24 months to repay, deductions capped.
Verified against DWP guidance: the interest-free Budgeting Advance (£100–£812 for one-off costs) can now be repaid over up to 24 months (doubled from 12 in December 2024), and since April 2025 most UC deductions are capped at 15% of your standard allowance — so repaying squeezes your monthly money less than it used to. Check grants you never repay first.
Source: GOV.UK Budgeting Loans + DWP Budgeting Advance guidanceSortedUK page: /budgeting-loanConfidence: High
7 Jun 2026
Work + sick pay
Helps low-paid workers
Statutory Sick Pay now starts on day one — and the earnings limit is gone.
Verified live on GOV.UK (page updated 27 May 2026): under the Employment Rights Act 2025, from 6 April 2026 SSP is £123.25/week or 80% of normal weekly earnings (whichever is lower), paid from the first day off sick — the old 3-day waiting period is abolished — and the lower earnings limit is removed, so low-paid workers who were shut out now qualify. If you were refused SSP before, check again.
Source: GOV.UK Statutory Sick Pay + ERA 2025 factsheetSortedUK page: /statutory-sick-payConfidence: High
7 Jun 2026
Housing + benefits
Rumour corrected
Discretionary Housing Payments are still running in England and Wales.
We checked a circulating claim that DHPs were "replaced by a new Housing Payment from April 2026" — it is false. GOV.UK's DWP guidance (updated 23 Jan 2026) confirms DHPs continue: extra council help with rent shortfalls, deposits and rent in advance for people on Housing Benefit or the UC housing element. Don't be put off applying.
2 Jun 2026
Debt
Helps users
SortedUK launches the /which-debt-first interactive sorter.
The page now ranks user-ticked UK debts in the legal StepChange-Priority order, then surfaces a live money-finder showing total potential £/yr available before paying. Solves the £24bn UK unclaimed-benefits gap by routing users to money before debt payments.
6 Apr 2026
Tax + benefits
Helps users
2026/27 UK tax year begins — new rates take effect.
Personal Allowance frozen at £12,570 for the seventh consecutive year. National Living Wage rises to £12.55/hr (21+). State Pension full new amount rises to ~£241/wk (8.5% triple-lock). Universal Credit standard allowance rises 1.7% (single 25+ to £393/mo). Marriage Allowance unchanged at £252/yr; backdate 4 years still allowed.
Source: Budget 2025 + DWP/HMRC published ratesSortedUK page: /better-off scanConfidence: High
31 Oct 2024
Housing
Costs users more
Stamp Duty additional-property surcharge raised 3% → 5%.
The SDLT additional-property surcharge (second homes, buy-to-let) increased from 3% to 5% on every band, effective 31 October 2024 Budget. A £400k second home now incurs an extra £8,000 SDLT (vs £4,800 previously). FTB threshold £425,000 unchanged. England + Northern Ireland only; Wales uses LTT, Scotland LBTT.
28 Jun 2024
Debt
Helps users
Debt Relief Order debt cap raised £30,000 → £50,000.
From 28 June 2024 you can apply for a Debt Relief Order with up to £50,000 in qualifying debts (previously £30k). Vehicle exemption raised to £4,000. Surplus income test relaxed to under £75/month. Combined with the 6 April fee abolition (now £0), DRO is the most accessible UK statutory write-off route since introduction.
Source: Insolvency Service + Insolvency Proceedings (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2024SortedUK page: /which-debt-firstConfidence: High
6 Apr 2024
Debt
Helps users
Debt Relief Order application fee abolished — now £0.
The £90 DRO application fee was scrapped from 6 April 2024. Apply free via an Approved Intermediary (StepChange, Citizens Advice, National Debtline, PayPlan). This is the most under-publicised consumer change of 2024 — thousands of UK adults eligible for DRO are still unaware the fee is gone.
Source: HM Government + Insolvency Service announcementSortedUK page: /which-debt-firstConfidence: High
April 2024 (rolling)
Family + childcare
Helps users
30 free childcare hours expanding to younger children.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 3 years now eligible for 15-30 hours of funded childcare (England). Full 30 hours phased in by September 2025. Apply via gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare. Tax-Free Childcare (£2,000/yr per child, £4,000 disabled) remains alongside.
29 Jul 2022 (ongoing)
Consumer rights
Helps users
Pre-paid funeral plans now FCA-regulated.
Every UK pre-paid funeral plan provider must now be FCA-authorised. Pre-July 2022 unregulated plans were a major scam vector; the new regime forces disclosure, capital adequacy, and customer money protection. Verify any UK funeral plan firm on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk before signing.
4 May 2021 (ongoing)
Debt
Helps users
Statutory Breathing Space scheme came into force.
Every adult in England + Wales with debt can apply for a 60-day legal pause: interest stops, enforcement stops, creditor contact stops. Apply free via StepChange, Citizens Advice, PayPlan or any FCA-authorised debt adviser. Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space lasts as long as treatment + 30 days.
Source: Debt Respite Scheme Regs 2020SortedUK page: /which-debt-firstConfidence: High
Rolling 2025/26
Energy
Helps users
Warm Home Discount auto-identification expanded.
England + Wales scheme now auto-identifies more low-income households using DWP + HMRC data sharing. If you're on Pension Credit Guarantee, you should receive the £150 winter credit automatically. Scotland route still requires application via supplier. Apply ~October each year if you're on means-tested benefits and your supplier hasn't auto-applied it.
Source: DESNZ · Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022SortedUK page: /warm-home-discountConfidence: High
10 Jun 2024
Consumer rights
Time-sensitive
Cat microchipping now compulsory in England.
All pet cats over 20 weeks must be microchipped + registered to a compliant UK database. £500 fine if non-compliant. Dogs already required since 2016. Microchip free or low-cost via Cats Protection + RSPCA + Blue Cross. Check at check-a-chip.co.uk.
Source: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023SortedUK page: /pets-helpConfidence: High
6 Apr 2024 (ongoing)
Consumer rights
Helps users
Statutory Carer's Leave right introduced.
Employees can now take 1 unpaid week per year as Carer's Leave from day one of employment (Carer's Leave Act 2023). Separate from annual leave + sickness. Applies to long-term care for a dependant (illness/disability/old age). Self-certify; no doctor's note needed.